Nearly a quarter of Americans believe that recent attacks on Jews are “understandable” and 13 per cent “justifiable”, according to a poll by US Jewry’s premier counter-extremism organisation, the ADL.
The survey was conducted in the wake of a number of incidents that included the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy workers at an American Jewish Committee event; the murder of a Colorado Jewish woman after a pro-hostage rally was firebombed; and an arson attack on the home of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
Nearly a quarter thought these were “false flag” operations; more than one in five, that they were not antisemitic; 15 per cent, that the violence was “necessary”; and 14 per cent did not consider them hate crimes.
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said: “As the Jewish community is still reeling from recent antisemitic attacks that killed three people, it’s unacceptable that one-quarter of Americans find this unspeakable violence understandable or justified – an alarming sign of how antisemitic narratives are accepted by the mainstream.
He added: “The torrent of antisemitic hate has continuously increased since Oct. 7, 2023, with Jews being harassed and targeted, blamed and attacked, wounded and killed. The bipartisan majority of the American public must act.”
Significant minorities also felt that American Jews were more loyal to Israel than the US (34 per cent); that they had too much influence in the media and politics (30 per cent); and they were answerable for Israel’s actions (27 per cent).
However, six out of ten Americans believed that antisemitism was, to some extent, a serious problem.
A similar proportion believed that when protesters used terms like “Zionists”, they meant Jews (58 per cent). More than two thirds (68 per cent) felt that cries of “Globalise the intifada” and “From the river to the sea” increased the risk of violence to Jews.
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